AC Milan arrive late this evening to start an eight-day winter training camp in Malta during which coach Carlo Ancelotti will be looking to lift his side from a slump in form that has seen the 17-times Italy champions struggling in the Serie A this season.
Milan started the campaign on a minus eight-point handicap for their involvement in the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football last summer.
In their last match on December 23, Milan showed signs of recovery after beating Udinese 3-0 away to move 12th in the standings on 20 points, just six away from fourth place and a Champions League berth at the end of the season.
However, the Rossoneri are a staggering 28 points behind leaders and city rivals Inter.
In Malta, Milan will have a contingent of 28 players and around 40 others between officials and members of the technical staff. There are also two chefs listed in the Milan group.
Birkirkara FC international secretary John Borg yesterday told The Times that all the top players in Ancelotti's squad will be here except for Alessandro Nesta (injured).
Striker Marco Borriello could join the squad later on in the week as he is likely to stay in Italy for a 'B' sample after testing positive for banned substances in a league match against Roma on November 11.
Also included in Milan's list is French winger Ibrahim Ba who is likely to have a trial for his former club.
During their stay, Milan have pencilled two training sessions daily and play a friendly against Malta champions Birkirkara today week at the National Stadium (kick-off 7.30 p.m.). They will also travel back home on Saturday for the annual Luigi Berlusconi Cup match against Juventus.
The training camp comes to a close on January 10 following a morning training spin at Ta' Qali.
The visit is Milan's second to the islands following the friendly at the old Empire Stadium against Hibernians in December 1968. On that occasion the Rossoneri beat the Paolites 2-0.
EuroSport deal
EuroSport recently signed a sponsorship agreement with Birkirkara ahead of the friendly vs Milan.
EuroSport, who prepared souvenir polo shirts to commemorate the occasion, have imported high-quality silver-plated mementos for the players and match officials. Moreover, two silver trophies have also been imported for each team.
EuroSport will be Birkirkara's third main sponsor with an interesting all-round sponsorship package. Through their agreement, EuroSport will allocate a good number of complimentary tickets to customers spending Lm25 and over at their various outlets.
Match tickets may be purchased from all EuroSport shops.